Masked
by actressforever
Summary: No one really knows about what Kakashi does apart from missions. When an old friend returns from his ANBU days, they are sent out on a life or death adventure. After this mission that brought them together, will she get him to come out of his shell?
1. Prolouge

**Authors Note-**

**PLEASE READ:**

**I'm redoing the first couple chapters of this story, just to add more detail and add more to the story. This is the prologue to the redone version (the plot is the same, don't worry). The next three redone chapters will be up in a few days. Thanks everyone! Please Review!!**

Kaori walked down the all too familiar path, marveling at the green trees that she had missed so much. Ten years in a desert had really made her appreciate the beauty of her old home. She lifted her hands up and brushed a branch of low hanging leaves, smiling. She caught sight of the front gate and ran the rest of the way. She couldn't wait to see everyone again, to go to her favorite barbecue place, or even to just sit in her old apartment again. Her hopes were shattered though, when she stepped through the gate and got a good look at the village. It was like a bomb dropped right smack in the middle of the village, and left nothing left but rubble. She had known that the village had been attacked, but she had never imagined that it was damaged to this extent.

She walked through the shattered village, noticing with a relief that there were people alive. The people of the village were already starting to rebuild. She tried to look for anyone she knew, but she couldn't recognize anyone in particular. She kept walking through the village until she reached the training areas, not realizing where she was going.

She walked toward the familiar area, relieved that this place was almost untouched. She walked forward automatically towards the memorial stone. She looked down, almost curious, at it. A wrenching pain tore at her heart as she read the new names that had been added in the past years. A lot of them had been her good friends. She heard someone step behind her and she whipped around. A young teenage boy stood behind her, his spiky blonde hair standing out in the gloom.

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before." He said, looking confused.

"I've just returned from a ten year long mission in the Hidden Sand Village. My name is Kaori." She studied the boy carefully; she thought she recognized him from somewhere. "What is your name?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he paused and then added, "The next Hokage!"

She smiled at his add in. "Well, do you know where I can find the current Hokage, Tsunade-sama? I need to talk with her."

He nodded and started walking away, motioning for her to follow him. They walked the short distance to the crumbled-but still standing- Hokage place. Naruto burst through the doors in Tsunade's office, with Kaori walking silently behind.

"Naruto! Do you always have to burst in like that?" she yelled, looking weary.

"Come on, Grandma Tsunade, give me a break. There is someone who needs to see you!" he said, motioning towards Kaori.

The jonin walked forward. "My name is Kaori Yagami. The third Hokage send me on a long term mission to the Sand Village ten years ago, and I have just returned."

Tsunade smiled; she remembered reading about this girl's mission. "Welcome back, Kaori. As you can see, you came at a very good time. Konoha is very much in need of healthy shinobi."

"Yes, I see that. I wish I could have been here to defend the village when Pein attacked. I had no idea of the damage inflicted on the village. If you want me to, I can be ready for any mission as early as tomorrow. I can imagine that the village is also in need of money."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes; it so happens that I do have a mission for you. Come here tomorrow at ten o'clock and I will give you the details. For now, since you obviously don't have anywhere to stay, you may sleep in one of the spare rooms in the hospital. Lately, the hospital has been filled but some shinobi have healed and we will have room for you."

Kaori bowed her head in respect, "Thank you, Hokage sama."

_**I know it's short, but it's only the prologue! The next few chapters will be longer. Review and tell me what you think!**_


	2. Remember

_**Authors Note-**_

_**Well this is the new second chapter. The basic plot of it is the same but I've added and taken away a few things. Tell me if you like it, or if there is anything I should change. **_

Kakashi kneeled down in his usual spot in front of the memorial stone. He looked at all the names, searching for three in particular. First, he found Obito Uchiha, his best friend. Then he found his old sensei's name, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. Last, and certainly not least, he found the name that meant the most today. Rin. Today was the anniversary of the day she died, in an ANBU mission shortly after the Fourth Hokage's death. He had already been at the stone for more than two hours, thinking. It was the only way to escape the hectic scene that was Konoha.

He looked up at the sky. It was already past ten; he was late, again.

Slowly, he sighed and got up. Tsunade had told him to be in her office at exactly ten o'clock. She had another mission for him, of course. "Most likely another solo mission, just like the ten others she has sent me on since I got out of the hospital." He thought to himself while taking out his book.

He walked through the village and finally arrived at the Hokage place. His masked face still buried in his book, he climbed the stairs and reached the large door, knocking on it quietly.

"Kakashi, please tell me that is you!" Tsunade yelled from inside.

Kakashi grimaced, knowing that he had made a mistake to make Tsunade angry. He had seen what she did to Jiraiya when she was angry. Slowly, he opened the door and peeked inside. "I'm sorry, Tsunade Sama. I'm afraid I just got lost on the path of life."

She looked at him skeptically as he walked in. "As if I haven't heard that one before from you."

"You sent for me?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, I did. I've assigned you and Kaori Yagami to a mission together." Kakashi looked beside him to the other Shinobi standing in the room. She was a tall, black haired shinobi, who wielded a large sword with writing etched on the blade. She turned to look at him and her eyes grew wide.

"Kakashi sempai! It's good to see you again." She practically squeaked, bowing her head.

Kakashi looked up from his book. He knew that he recognized this girl from somewhere, but he had no idea where he knew her from. He knew he had also seen that unique sword. He decided, after a second of awkward silence, that he would pretend like he knew her.

"Yes…um…nice to see you too…um…" He tried to remember what Tsunade had said the girl's name was, "Kaori." Then he smiled with his one showing eye and looked down at his book.

"So what's our mission, Hokage sama?" The girl asked, standing up straight.

"You two are going to be guarding a family of four on their way back home to their village in the Land of Earth. Their father, Benjiro Ishikawa, has been on a rouge band of rouge shinobi's hit list for quite some time, so be wary. Do not underestimate them. They recently killed one of Iwagakure's best shinobi while he was on a mission. Normally, I would assign more shinobi to this mission, but considering our circumstances right now... two jonin and former ANBU should be able to handle it.

Something clicked inside of Kakashi. THAT was why he recognized the girl; she was on his old ANBU team before he left after Rin died. _Rin._ The name and what day it was burst through his memory, he had been trying to forget, causing him to tense and clench his fists tight on his book.

Tsunade and Kaori looked at Kakashi, confused by his odd reaction. "Kakashi?" Tsunade said.

He looked up, coming back into reality, and scratched the back of his neck, somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't realized that they were staring at him. "Sorry, I just realized that I promised to help rebuild the academy and I'm late again." He smiled at his on the spot excuse.

"Well then, we shouldn't make this any longer than it should be. Let's wrap this up, okay? You both will meet the family by the North gate at six o'clock sharp tonight. DO NOT BE LATE!" she practically yelled the last part at Kakashi.

Him and Kaori both said "Hai!" and started to walk out of the office. Kaori slowed her walking to walk at Kakashi's pace.

"I can't believe this happened to Konoha…" she said, looking at all the destruction that had occurred.

Kakashi looked up from his book at the ruined village. "I know. You are lucky you weren't here when it happened. I don't know how in the world Naruto defeated that man."

"Naruto… is that the boy with the spiky blonde hair? He walked me over here yesterday. HE defeated Pein? All by himself?"

Kakashi nodded, realizing the Kaori had not heard the full story. "Yes, mostly. He had his toad summons, of course, but he did defeat him. If it wasn't for him and the medical ninja, many more of us, including myself, would be dead."

Kaori looked at the masked ninja. "Then thank goodness for them!"

Kakashi let himself smile. "Yes. Well, I better be off. I actually did promise to help rebuild the academy and I can't let them down."

He walked away from her with a wave, leaving her standing on the steps.

_**Review Please! That would be awfully kind of you! Compliments, constructive criticism, advice, predictions, anything is welcome!!**_


	3. Late Yet Again

_**Authors note-**_

_**Thanks for the reviews, and for all your support. Keep reviewing and these chapters might even come up quicker next time .This is also a re-do, like the others. I didn't change much of this chapter though, it's a little bit short and I added and re did a couple things.**_

_**I do not own Naruto**_

Kakashi reached down and grabbed a long piece of timber from Iruka's hand, making sure not to lose his balance as he slowly stood up. Then he walked across the half built roof of the academy. "Here, that's all of it." He said while setting the wood next to the last plank he had brought.

The shinobi nailing the previous one into place smiled and thanked Kakashi, who turned to see if anyone needed anymore help. Once he reached the edge of the roof, he jumped down almost on top of Iruka "Sorry!"

Iruka laughed and said, "It's okay, you missed me."

The two shinobi walked around towards the front of the school. "So is there anything else I can do before I leave for my mission?" Kakashi asked.

"No, I think what you've done is good, even if you were two hours late." Iruka said through his teeth, obviously still angry at Kakashi, while sitting on a bench outside of the academy. "So, did you know Kaori Yagami is back in the village?"

"Yes, I do. Actually, Kaori and I are going to be doing this mission together. Have you spoken to her? She was on your genin team, right?"

"Yeah, she was. I saw her, but she only was walking by, so I couldn't get a chance to talk to her. She looks so different; I guess ten years in the Sand Village can really change a person." Iruka commented.

"Yes, she has really changed."Kakashi agreed. Just then, a blur of yellow hair ran past them. Kakashi used his lightning fast speed to run right in front of Naruto, causing the genin to run straight into him. "Oh, hey Kakashi sensei!"

"What is your hurry, Naruto? I've never seen you run that fast. Is there a sale at Ichiraku Ramen or something?" he asked.

"No, sadly, I wish there was! I promised Sakura that I would meet her for some training an hour ago! I slept too long and I'm late. She is going to kill me! See you, I have to go!" With a wave the boy ran off, leaving Kakashi standing in the middle of the street.

"Well, it looks like, even with his powerful sage powers that could defeat Pein, Naruto is still Naruto." Kakashi commented to Iruka. "Speaking of being late, what time is it?"

Iruka looked at the clock on the inside of the damaged school building. "If that clock is right, it's almost seven o'clock."

Kakashi silently groaned. He was already almost an hour late. "I better go get Tsunade's wrath over with." With that, he got up and walked slowly away, taking out his beloved book.

As he walked up to the gate, he saw Tsunade and Kaori talking to a man and his wife. Their family was obviously poor, with plain, ragged clothing. The man wore a straw hat and his wife wore her brown hair straight down her back. To their side was a teenage boy with short dark hair, playing with a little girl, who looked about seven years old. He walked up as silently as he could, but Tsunade still noticed him.

She stomped up to him, her hands balled up into fists. "Where were you? You're almost an hour late! What were you thinking, holding up a mission like this?! I told you specifically not to be late!!"

He backed away with his hands held up for protection. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I was helping to rebuild the school and time just got the best of me." For once he wasn't lying about where he was.

"It's true; he told me himself where he was going earlier." Kaori added while running up to them, knowing Kakashi's tendency to make fake excuses.

She seemed to lose a little bit of her anger at Kaori's statement. "Well at least you were doing something useful. Come on, I'll introduce you to the family you are guarding." She walked up to the man and woman. "Kakashi, this is Benjiro and Akina Ishikawa. Their children are Kyo and Chihiro Ishikawa." At the mention of their names, the two children stood, walking over to Kakashi.

"What's your name?" The little girl, Chihiro, asked Kakashi.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake." He said, smiling down at her. Then he turned to Benjiro. "So, you need escorting back to your village?

"Yes, our village is a couple miles past the border into The Land of Earth. We should be fine for most of the journey, but once we cross the border we will need to keep an eye out for those rouge ninja Tsunade Sama told you about."

Kakashi nodded. "We will keep your family safe."

Kaori smiled and nodded. "Yes we will. Kakashi sempai and I worked in ANBU together. We will get you and your family home safely."

Akina breathed a sigh of relief, looking at her children. "Thank you, both of you. I was so worried that, if we were attacked on the way home, that my son and husband would have to fight."

"They won't have to if we can help it." Kaori assured her. "I'm also a highly trained medical ninja."

The woman nodded, reassured by her words.

Tsunade clapped her hands together. "Alright, you guys better get going if you want to reach their village by tomorrow." The two shinobi nodded, and they set off.

_**I'm sorry this is another short, boring-ish chapter! I promise, the next couple chapters are going to get more exciting. **_

_**Please Review!!!!!!!**_


	4. A Run in with the Rouges

_**Authors Note-**_

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed (you know who you are), please keep it up!! This is my third rewrite and I can finally get to writing the rest! I'm sorry it was up so late, I had said it would be up on Monday and now it's Saturday :-/**_

Kakashi and Kaori walked in front of the group, always watching for ambush. They walked along the path towards the villager's town. Kakashi took out his book, knowing this was going to be a long journey. These people could not run fast or jump tree to tree, especially with a child. He glanced back at the family, who had been silent most of the way. It was only a couple hours into their journey and already the little girl looked exhausted.

He sighed and looked back at his book. "We should stop and rest soon. We started late and it seems that the family is exhausted. We have been moving at a fairly quick pace." He mumbled so only Kaori could hear.

She glanced at him and then turned her head toward the family. "You're right. A few hours of rest would be good for all of us." She stopped and walked toward the exhausted family. "We are going to take a break for a few hours. We know you have a small child, and we all could use some rest before tomorrow."

"Thank you, Kaori san. We would appreciate the rest. I'm sorry we have to slow you down like this." Benjiro said, picking up his daughter.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go find a spot for you to rest in." Kakashi said, his eye forming into his little "smile".

****************************************************************************

Kakashi leaned his head back against the tree sighing, noticing that the sky was growing lighter. He was sitting in a tree branch high above the sleeping forms of the others. Even Kaori slept soundly down on the ground; Kakashi said he would keep watch. It wasn't like he would be able to sleep anyway; but it was too dark to read his book.

He realized that since it was morning, they should probably head out soon. Silently, he jumped out of the tree and landed next to Kaori, who jumped to her feet the moment he hit the ground.

"Oh, it's just you." She whispered, looking relieved. Then she looked up at the sky, also noticing its lightness. "Let's wake them up and eat some breakfast before we leave."

The family was slowly woken up, with lots of grumbled from the children. Kaori passed out small rice balls to eat and Kakashi took his to sit at the base of a tree with Kaori sitting next to him.

Chihiro, the little girl, walked up to Kakashi and sat cross-legged in front of him, taking a bite out of her rice ball. "Hello!"

Kakashi and Kaori looked up from their food. "Why hello." Kaori said.

"Hi! So, you two are Hidden Leaf Ninja, right?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, we are. Why do you ask?" Kakashi asked after finishing his rice ball.

"Well, my father doesn't like you very much. Actually, he doesn't like the leaf village at all." She said, frowning a little.

"Why is that?" Kaori asked.

"Well, he hates the leaf village because of what happened during the Great Shinobi War. Father was…" she stopped herself, frowning again, just as her brother walked up behind her.

"Father was in the trading business. Back then, we lived very close to Iwagakure, and the village's war with Konoha stopped his ability to trade almost completely and nearly destroyed our home. He thinks that it is Konoha's fault that we had to start over."

The little girl nodded in agreement as Kyo went on. "He only hired you guys because we were in Konoha for trading-he eventually got his business started up again- and needed an escort back home. Although, I thought a whole team of ninjas would be escorting us, instead of only you two."

"Can you really protect us from all those Iwa ninja?" Chihiro asked.

Kaori smiled. "Who do you think could protect you better than us? Two former ANBU?" She laughed. "Well a whole team also would be able to do the job as well."

Kyo thought for a moment. "The Copy Ninja! Father and Mother used to tell us stories about the war, and the Copy Ninja was the greatest! He knows a thousand jutsus because of his Sharingan. He could take them down in a second!"

Kakashi coughed. "Well I don't know about a second." He thought. Out loud he said, "If the Copy Ninja is as great as you say he is, then you guys will not need to worry!"

Kyo and Chihiro looked at him confused, until he sighed and pulled up his forehead protector. Kyo's mouth practically dropped to the floor when he saw Kakashi's mismatched eyes. "You…you're the Copy Ninja!"

Kaori laughed. "He is. Now, come on. We must get moving." She stood up and the children followed her.

Kakashi smiled underneath the mask and pulled his forehead protector back down over his eye, shaking his head.

The family and ninja packed up their stuff and set back out on the path. As they started walking again, Kaori ran up to Kakashi, slowing her pace to walk next to him. "Who knew that the infamous Kakashi Hatake even has fan's in the Land of Earth?"

"Hey, no making fun of me!" he joked, lightly pushing her shoulder.

They walked in silence for the next couple hours as the day grew hotter and hotter. Suddenly, Kaori froze where she was, her eyes growing wide. Kakashi looked at her confused. "Hey? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Then he sensed them too.

"There are people coming, ninjas. There seem to be three or four of them…" she closed her eyes, and then reopened them. "They are too fast for us to outrun. We will have to fight."

He nodded and they both ran up to the family. "They are coming. Whatever you do, stay away from the fighting. One of us will be guarding you at all times." They nodded. Kyo ran up to Kakashi, holding on to his sister's hand.

"What can I do?" he looked desperate to help.

Kakashi pulled a kunai out of his pocket and handed it to the boy. "Protect your family anytime that we can't; especially your sister."

The boy nodded and tightened his grip on both his sister and the knife. Kakashi turned back to Kaori. "Ready?" She nodded, going to stand behind the family while Kakashi stood in front.

All of a sudden, three ninja with Iwagakure's symbol on their forehead protectors stood before him. Kakashi's grip tightened on his kunai as he glared at him. "Why are you here?" he asked, knowing the answer.

One of the ninja, obviously the leader, stepped forward. "We came to fulfill our promise. You see, we promised that man there that we would kill him and his family for what he did to us."

Kakashi smiled, still keeping his cool. "I don't think so. Your promises will never be fulfilled because your life ends here!"

With that, he lunged toward the leader, meeting the other's knife with his own. He glanced sideways and saw two of the three rouge ninjas heading towards the family. He tossed a kunai at one of them with his free hand, nailing him in the back. The ninja fell over, supposedly dead, while the other started fighting with Kaori.

The ninja he was battling with leaped back next to the fourth ninja, doing hand signs. Kakashi silently cursed as the other's stone dragon jutsu surged toward him. He jumped back and the jutsu stopped, forming a large stone wall, separating Kakashi from the other ninja. After making sure Kaori was handling the other ninja, Kakashi jumped up on top of the wall to see better.

He looked down, searching for the two rouge ninja, yet he couldn't see them. Suddenly, a hand grabbed him from below pulling him down while they went up. He quickly used a shadow clone of attack the ninja, the leader, while he pulled himself back up.

He felt someone's chakra behind him and turned around just in time to block the punch of the leader's own clone. He returned the punch with one of his own straight to the face, sending the clone flying out of sight. While his shadow clone battled the leader, he jumped down to go help Kaori.

She and the other remaining ninja were locked in what looked like a staring contest. She had her sword outstretched by her side, and by the blood on it she had obviously injured her opponent. She was standing in between the ninja and the frightened family. All except for Kyo, who stood on the other side of the family with his knife ready.

Kakashi ran at the ninja from behind with a knife, quickly thrusting it into the man's chest. He let go of the man, who dropped to the ground dead. "Are there any more left?" she asked, still holding her position.

He nodded and ran in the direction of the rock wall. "My shadow clone is fighting the last one as we speak. Let's go." Before they could go anywhere, though, the ninja appeared in front of them, injured but alive.

Kaori lunged at him with her sword; he ducked and aimed a kick at her head, which she blocked. He leaped back and tossed a few kunai at her, which she easily dodged. Little did they know, that who he really was aiming for was not Kaori, but the family. Kakashi leaped in front, knocking all the weapons away.

"I see that I am not going to be able to get past you." The ninja observed, smiling a wry smile.

"Of course you won't! You would never be able to defeat the copy ninja!! He is the best." Kyo shouted from behind Kakashi.

The rouge ninja smiled even wider. "So that's how I recognized you, Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi tightened his grip on his knife, his eyes narrowing. "The child is right, I can't defeat you alone."

With that, he made some hand motions and disappeared out of sight with a gust of wind. "Shit!" Kaori yelled. "He got away!"

"For now, the family is safe again." Kakashi commented, getting relieved looks from the entire family.

_**I know, this chapter is REALLY long! **_

_**Review please please please!!!**_


	5. Suspicions

_**Authors Note:**_

_**I am so sorry that this is so late! Ugh this chapter was so evil to write, I don't like it very much but I think it turned out fine. I promise I will get this next one up quicker; I actually have a plan for it. So yeah, read on!**_

As soon as Kakashi and Kaori made sure the area was clear of the rouge Shinobi, the family set off again. Once they started walking, Kyo ran up to Kakashi and Kaori, while still holding onto his knife. He lifted it up to Kakashi.

"Here's your knife back." He mumbled in a monotone. He really seemed disappointed that he had to give it back. "Thanks for letting me use it."

Kakashi chuckled while he reached out and lowered the boy's hand with the knife still in it. "Keep it. Your family still needs protecting."

Kyo's face lit up and he clutched the handle of the knife. "Thanks! You know, someday, I wish to be as great of a fighter as you two, even if you are leaf shinobi!" His voice grew louder. "You both were amazing out there, fighting those ninja. Maybe I could even become a great Iwa shinobi, like my-"

Just then Kyo's father ran up to him. "Kyo, your mother wants you. She needs help carrying some of the supplies. Stop bugging the ninja and get over there." The boy nodded and ran off, with his father walking after him.

"That was…odd." Kaori observed. "I wonder who he was talking about? Don't you? Maybe it has something to do with what those rouge ninja said? That they were paying Benjiro back for something he did? Could it be-?"

"It's not our place to wonder, Kaori. Our mission is to protect the family-nothing else. The why's, who's and how's don't matter. I'm also pretty sure the family doesn't want us finding out the answers to those questions anyway." Kakashi interrupted, sounding like the leader he always has been.

"Well, they are definitely hiding something." Kaori said, looking back at the family who were walking slowly behind them.

"Kaori…" Kakashi half growled and pulled her back again. "Your curiosity is getting the better of you." Although, he also wanted to find out what was up with the family. He would confront Benjiro himself.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Kakashi sempai. You know, you haven't changed since we were in ANBU. Your mission and the safety of your clients and team come first-no questions asked."

Kakashi looked behind them at the family again. "Listen, I don't think that we should keep saying how we were in ANBU. It's a secret organization, and we shouldn't give out any information about it to anyone. I know you haven't been in Konoha for a while, so I'll let it go this time. Just try not to let any more information slip out, okay?"

Kaori nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed that Kakashi had to correct her. She looked straight ahead and realized where they were. The long grass covering the sides of the path was a clear indicator. "The Grass Country."

Kakashi tensed as he heard the name. They had to cross the small country to arrive in the Earth Country. This country was where the Great Shinobi War was held. His teammate had died here. He shook his head, clearing those thoughts. "You're right; we should be coming across the border soon."

Kaori noticed his odd actions. "Are you okay?"

Kakashi kept his expression blank and looked straight ahead. "I'm fine, it's nothing."

They approached the small border town, walking through it quickly just in case the rouge nin were there. They walked across the border, and were immediately stopped by two grass ninja- border patrol.

"State your purpose for coming into our country." One of them said.

Kakashi stepped forward. "My teammate and I are just escorting this family home from Konoha. We are just passing through. Here," he reached for something in his pocket. "The Hokage gave us passes to make our way through here."

The two shinobi looked at each other and nodded, letting the travelers pass by. As soon as they got into open country again, Kakashi started recognizing the scenery. This had been almost the exact same path he and his old team had taken for that last mission.

He looked down at the ground, focusing on his feet and the dirt. Unexpectedly, he felt a gentle hand on his arm and immediately reached back to grab a kunai; as he looked up he realized that it was just Kaori.

"Huh?" he mumbled, bringing his hand down to his side again.

"I'm sorry." She stuttered, crossing her arms. "It's just; you had a weird look on your face; not that I could see anything but your eye." She chuckled.

Kakashi sighed and forced that eye to crease into his little smile. "Don't worry about it. I was just remembering something."

They were interrupted by Kyo and Chihiro darting past in a frenzied game of tag. Their mother walked after them. "Hey you two; don't make too much noise. Kyo, aren't you a little old for tag-"

Kaori shook her head. "I'll go make sure they are alright." She laughed and jogged to catch up to them.

Kakashi used this as his chance to have a little chat with Benjiro. He slowed down his pace until he was walking side by side with the man. "Need some help? It looks like they left you with most of the supplies."

Benjiro nodded and Kakashi took a large pack from him, throwing it over his shoulder. "Sorry about Kyo bugging you guys earlier. He seems set on being a ninja one day."

"So he said." Kakashi used his free hand to take out his beloved book. "You know, he said something funny to me earlier."

"Yeah, what did he say?" Benjiro asked, looking suspicious.

"Well…" Kakashi said, thinking about what to say while still reading his book. "He mentioned that someone he knew had been an Iwa Shinobi."

"Oh…" the man said, looking away from Kakashi. "Well you know Kyo, he is always making up wild stories-"

"Yes, that's true, but this wasn't one of them. Do you have any idea why those ninja are after you, Benjiro-san? It doesn't make much sense that they would be after a simple trader; not to mention with the intent to kill." Kakashi said knowingly, keeping his unemotional look. "That got me wondering if there is something you're not telling us."

Benjiro turned back towards him. "No. We have told you everything you need to know. I do not know why those sorry excuses for shinobi are after me and my family." With that he walked faster, catching up to his family, who were waiting at the start of a bridge.

Kakashi walked up beside Kaori, still suspicious of Benjiro. He looked up at the large bridge and instantly recognized it as the one he, Rin, and Minato-sensei had destroyed. "So they've rebuilt it since the war?"

"It looks like it." Kaori agreed.

Benjiro's wife looked at him, confused. "Yes, they rebuilt this bridge a couple of years ago for travelers. The country border is about a mile away from it. How-?"

"It doesn't matter. Let's go." Kakashi said, leading the way.

***********************************************************************

"I promise you, we are almost there! Look, it's just through those trees!" The excited teen led his sister by her hand through the dense forest of the Land of Earth.

"Don't be so hasty, you two!" Kaori called as she, Kakashi, and the rest of the family walked behind them.

They made their way through the trees until the house, a large, two story cabin, was in sight.

"Let's go! I'll race you to the house nii-san!" Chihiro said, running across a grassy field into the house.

"Wait a second, you got a head start!" Kyo yelled, chasing after her.

Kakashi and Kaori laughed as the children ran into the house ahead of them. Kakashi walked up to Benjiro, who still looked skeptical about the jonin. "Right. So you mentioned that some Iwa shinobi will arrive shortly?"

"Yes. They are going to act as our guards until the rouge shinobi are captured. It very troublesome for all of us but it will keep the family safe." Benjiro said.

"When will they be arriving?" Kaori asked.

"Soon. Either late today or early tomorrow." Akina answered, setting down her large packs on the porch.

"Good. Although, just to be safe Kaori and I will stay until-"Kakashi was cut off by a loud, piercing scream from inside the house.

"What in the-"Kaori said, as she and Kakashi burst open the door.

_**Gotta love the cliffhangers!! Reviews are most certainly welcome! Please, please review and I'll try my best to get these chapters up quicker!! **_


	6. Collapse

_**I really would have posted this two days ago but FanFiction was having some sort of problem and wouldn't let me log in!! Eek right!?**_

_**Oh well, now I'm here. I was originally going to make this chapter and the next one chapter, but it turned out to be way too long. It might even have to be three. We'll see. I don't really like this chapter- I mean I do but it was troublesome (thank you Shikamaru). **_

_**On with the chapter!**_

Another scream pierced the air just as the two shinobi ran inside the house. They looked around frantically but could see no one.

"Where are they!?" Kaori yelled while reaching for her sword.

Kakashi concentrated for a moment. "I think they are in the next room, it's quite large. It seems to be those same rouges that attacked us before, but there are more this time, six or seven."

Kaori cursed under her breath and ran into the large room- a family room. Kakashi ran swiftly after her, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. The six rouges that were visible were scattered around the room, smirking. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kyo hiding behind a chair. He looked at Kakashi with scared eyes, although he still held his kunai tight in his hands.

"Kaori." The masked ninja whispered.

She looked at him, ready. "What should I do?"

"The leader, the man I fought before, has the little girl. He is over in the corner holding a knife to her throat. I don't think he will kill her just yet though." She took a sharp breath in, but stayed composed. "I will fight him and get the girl away while you take care of the others. Do not let the rest of the family get hurt, do you understand?"

Kaori nodded, and motioned for Kyo to come to her. The boy stood up tentatively, and walked beside her. As he did this, Benjiro and his wife ran into the room. Chihiro, still being held by the rouge ninja, let out another scream.

"Damn it!! Chihiro." Kyo yelled, jumping away from Kaori's grasp and running toward the ninja, knife in tow.

"Kyo, no!" Kakashi yelled, running after him.

He grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him back. "Let me go!!" Kyo yelled, squirming in Kakashi's grasp. "They have Chihiro! I need to get her back…"

"Listen Kyo, I know you want to help your sister but for right now you should let me and Kaori handle it, okay? We will get her back, I promise." Kakashi said, and the boy stopped struggling. "Kaori, let's go."

She nodded and they both ran forward. Kakashi ran straight toward the lead rouge, but was stopped by two of the others. Pulling three knives out, he lunged at them, managing to cut one on the shoulder. Both turned and went for a kick, but Kakashi dodged it easily. He looked over for a second to see Kaori and one of the ninja locking swords with a metallic clang.

Suddenly, he felt someone behind him and quickly ducked out of the way of an oncoming kick. 'I'm fighting three now?!' he thought, sighing.

He took out two more kunai and fought two of the three ninja at one time. He managed to knock one of them unconscious, and went to fighting the other two. One of the ninja, a brown haired kunoichi, started making hand signs. "Splitting Earth Force!" She yelled, pounding her hand to the ground.

"Dammit!" Kakashi yelled as the ground under the house began to shake. "Kaori, look out! Get them out of here, the house might-"he was cut off by a large piece of the rock wall nearly hitting his left eye. "Get out!!" He yelled again. She stopped fighting, nodded and ran off, grabbing the family and running towards the door as the house started to collapse. Kakashi cursed under his breath again and looked to see where the other ninja were. He saw one of them, the one Kaori had been fighting, running towards the door and quickly attacked the man, knocking him unconscious with one kick.

"Where is he?" he asked himself, looking around amidst the chaos for the leader and Chihiro. He coughed in the thick, dust-filled air and realized it was no use and that he had to get out of the house. Willing chakra to his feet, he ran out of the house at record speeds just as it collapsed, dust flying everywhere. . The earth stopped rumbling slowly.

Kakashi put his hands on his knees and panted heavily, covered with dust. Kaori and the family ran up to him, and Kaori put her hands on his shoulders. "I thought you were going to-"

"Save it for later." He coughed violently, "Is everyone else okay?"

"Yes, we are all fine. I managed to kill one of the rouges as we ran past her; I think it was the one who started that jutsu." She answered.

"I also knocked one unconscious in the house, but now I don't think he will be coming out. That leaves three more and the leader to deal with. Did you see any come out?" Kaori shook her head.

"We didn't either." Benjiro said, while his wife gaped at their ruined house. He looked at her and put his arm around her.

"What about Chihiro!?" Kyo yelled, running over to them. "I mean, what's gonna happen to her?" He looked extremely worried.

Kaori smiled down at the teen. "We will try our hardest to get your sister back, Kyo."

The boy looked down. "I saw them." Kakashi and Kaori focused their attention to him. "They were jumping away from the house into the woods behind us, just as it collapsed. There were four of them, and they were yelling… I couldn't understand what they were saying…"

"Where were they heading towards exactly?" Kakashi asked.

Kyo turned and pointed to the trees directly behind them. Kakashi sighed and looked at Kaori. "I'd say that they are trying to ambush us."

"Why would they do that?" Kyo asked, looking around.

"Well, their target is your entire family- they aren't going to just leave here without revenge. They also probably know that we will not leave you guys to go find them." Kakashi explained; then sighed. "We are at a disadvantage by not knowing the area." Kyo crouched down and picked at a piece of grass.

"No we aren't." Benjiro stated, getting confused looks from everyone except his son. "This is my home. I know the terrain around here like the back of my hand."

"Guys…" Kyo murmured, pressing his palm to ground.

No one seemed to hear the boy; they were too busy trying to figure out where the ninja could be.

"Over there are some rocky hills, there are tons of boulders left over from when a cave collapsed in during the war.

Kakashi tensed again, getting a weird look from Kaori. He composed himself and nodded. "Yes… I know the place."

"There are spaces in between some of the boulders. That could be-"

"Guys!!" Kyo yelled, startling everyone. He still was crouched on the ground with his palm on the floor in front of him. "I think… I think I can feel their chakra. It's like…they are underground."

Kakashi narrowed his eye and looked down at the boy. The boy could sense chakra? He too crouched down, resting his palm on the dirt. "Kaori, brace yourself. They are underneath us somewhere."

"They have Chihiro with them!" growled Kyo.

"She's alive, don't worry." Kakashi said while trying to pinpoint where they were. He didn't want to use Sharingan if he didn't have to.

Kyo noticed this and smiled. "I can get 'em out."

Benjiro knelt next to his son, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Kyo, I know what you want to do and you're right; it would get them out but it would also possibly kill them. You're forgetting that they have your sister!" Kyo looked away from his father at the floor.

'A jutsu?' thought Kakashi to himself, just as Kaori gave him a knowing look.

Suddenly, two of the ninja burst out of the ground behind Kakashi. He turned around, only to have four kunai thrust into him. Akina screamed and Kyo took in a surprised breath; Kaori and Benjiro just narrowed their eyes at the falling ninja.

Kyo, pushing away from his father, ran up to the copy ninja who, with a puff of smoke, disappeared leaving a log behind. "What the hell?"

_**Sorry for the semi-kind-of cliff hanger. Just review!!!! Suggestions, predictions, anything is welcome and I recommend it!! Haha. Thanks!!!**_


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